Horoscope funny:

Getting you out of the house now will be next to impossible, especially if you have friends, family or kids on hand. The more loved ones you have handy to hug, feed and nurture, in fact, the harder it will be to get you to leave. Don't let anyone make you feel guilty about it, either. Home and family are your specialties, along with nurturing. When you've got the chance to do all three, why exactly would you want to leave?

How about "Because it's STILL FREAKING SNOWING!! We have 9 inches on the ground and possibly 1-3 more today, and this is the South and a record breaking snowfall, so the snow removal forces are completely overwhelmed. I had hoped to get out of the house later today, but now I'm guessing tomorrow may be more realistic.



Then, of course, Horoscope Person launches into that sappy "Oooh, if you're a Cancerian you are all home and family and nurturing..." I do not believe a sun in Cancer makes a person any more nurturing than a sun in any other sign, and I do believe this is a weak cliche horoscope writers fall back on when they have nothing else to say - filler, like "Virgos are so organized," and "a Taurus is bull-headed" and blah, blah, blah. So poop on that writer who apparently took the week off and is phoning this stuff in.

As I said, the snow is still blowing and it's cold as hell out there and OMG windy, so I may or may not get out of the house later. I suspect that by noon cabin fever will drive me to venture forth and see how conditions are on the main roads. I do have some phone calls to make from the comfort of my chilly little home office this morning, and the house is well stocked with food and other necessities, but by tomorrow this alleged "homebody" is going start losing her shit if she can't get out of here. Knitting and movies and books can hold me for 24, even 48 hours, then I do get cranky. I have things to do.

I do need to pick up an actual ice scraper one of these days. I don't own one, but I found in the last snow that a sturdy metal-handled spatula with a wide plastic scooper section works just as well in a pinch - it doesn't bend under the weight of the snow and won't scratch the glass - so later my Calphalon ice scraper will again pinch hit to dig out Baby.

The dogs have been great. As these conditions are similar to hurricane conditions in that they make trips Outside quite challenging, my Storm Accident Amnesty Program is in place - if they have an accident, I shall clean it up without recriminations and we just shall not speak of it. Would you want to walk into a wall of snow higher than your head to go to the bathroom? And the snow IS up to their pointy little ears - the streets were plowed a couple of times over the last two days, and that is where we must walk.

But despite the amnesty offered, both dogs have been amazingly brave about getting out there when they must. Sophie is highly efficient - she steps out to the first available place, does what she needs to do and turns around, dragging me back to the door. I have to put her in the house and take Murphy for his longer walk, because Murphy, all 7 skinny little pounds of him arthritic knees and all, scoffs at snow - if the big dogs can do it, so can he, dammit! I admire his spirit but wish he would be more like Sophie in efficiency.



My two best purchases of the year - my down jacket and my deliciously warm UGGs. Expensive (yay for Zappos credit!) but worth every penny. Girlchild gifted me with a Zappos gift certificate for Christmas, because she knows her mother's favorite online shopping. I'm trying not to let it burn a hole in my inbox, but the combination of cabin fever and onlins shopping, oh, it is a dangerous thing.